Hemophilia 24/7
— Cazandra Campos-MacDonald

New swimming trunks, sunscreen, cap, sleeping bag — gathering these items means it’s time for hemophilia camp! My son Caeleb is so excited that he is driving his dad and me a little crazy. Two years ago, he broke his wrist the night before camp and wasn’t…

I am a musician who has played in orchestra pits, wind ensembles, chamber groups, and orchestras. I even played antiphonal oboe one Christmas! Music is powerful. It transforms you and allows you to escape for a few hours from the regular happenings of the day. However, most people…

There are moments in life that seem to disappear, while others have burned into my memory. I can remember a moment that took place 20 years ago, and my heart rushes as though it happened only seconds ago. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but sometimes the…

My mighty warrior Caeleb came home from school last week with a question. “Mom,” he asked, “my knee is really messed up, isn’t it?” I couldn’t see an injury, and so I asked him what he meant by “messed up.” “I can’t run really fast like everyone else in gym class,”…

With my oldest son, who is now 21, I never worried about limitations. He played soccer for a season, and that was the extent of his athletic pursuits. He just did not like sports and to this day, he does not understand the basics of a football game,…

I recently spoke to members of the Sangre de Oro Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are my family. We gathered to “kick off” the upcoming Unite for Bleeding Disorders walk. We had a friendly competition to see whose team…

I couldn’t believe Caeleb was about to get his first dose of Hemlibra (emicizumab-kxwh). I have been following several people whose children participated in the Hemlibra study (NCT02622321) before the Food and Drug Administration approved the therapy, and I saw how it changed their lives. After…

When my sons were born and diagnosed with hemophilia, we lived in Houston and had access to the Gulf States Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Center. I had access to treatment and never considered that I’d be kept from it. When my youngest, Caeleb, was only 7 months old, my…

  I have a few rituals on Sunday evenings. I check to make sure clothes are washed and ready for the week, I set the menu so that we have a plan for dinner throughout the week, and I fill the infusing bucket and bring it to the…

  I had the amazing privilege of speaking to the women of the Gateway and Midwest hemophilia associations at their annual retreat for women with bleeding disorders. There is just something about folks in the Midwest. They are kindhearted, compassionate, and tons of fun. Every time I…

I am still waiting to hear from our hemophilia treatment center about whether our insurance will cover Hemlibra (emicizumab-kxwh) for Caeleb. Honestly, I’ve put it out of my mind for a bit because I know it is not a “done deal” until I have the product in my…

Last week, my husband and I took our mighty warrior Caeleb to the hemophilia treatment center so that we could touch base with his hematologist. Caeleb recently had labs drawn, and it was time to sit for a meeting about his treatment. We were called to the back to…